Aeroplane



H. KRNER April 12, 1932.

AEROPLANE Filed Nov. 12, 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet ATTORNEY LI P311 Aprifi 12,1932.

H. KRNER AEROPLANE I Filed Nov. 12, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORATTORNEY Aprifl 12, mm H. mRNER L854,43

AEROPLANE Filed NOV. 12, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 RTTORNEY Patented Apr.12, 1932 I UNITED STATES HUBER! xonnnn, or HAB N CUBA AEROPLAN EApplication filed November 12, 1930, Serial nb..495,2o3, and inGermany'J'uly 23, .1621.

This invention relates to means for facilitating the control aeroplanesduring landing and starting.

The lift of aeroplanes depends air, upon'the angle of incidence and uponthe form'of the wings. Assuming a constant velocity of the plane, thelift increases with the increment of angle of incidence, to a .angle ofincidence the values of lift decrease rapidly. The cause of it is theinitial deficiency of the energy of the air, which streams near thesurfaces of the wing and this deficiency occurs at sudden and excessiveincrements of pressure, and separates the air from the surface of thewing, which leads to a partial inversion of the direction of motion, andto the formation ofwhirls. This disadvantage can only be overcome by theartificial supply of energy to the air streaming near the surfaces ofthe wings.

- .This was tried by employing revolving cylinders or rotors, wherebythe neighboring airmasses are accelerated in the direction of thecurrent; also by opening and closing a slot in the front edge of thewing in the Handley Page machine whereby on account of the difference ofpressure between the upper and lower-sides, the air streams from belowto above and supplies the required energy. Suction toward the inside ofthe wing and the tangential discharge of gases were also employed.

The sudden decrease of lift upon passing a maximum angle of incidence,happens especially when there is small relative velocitybetween,theaeroplane and the air, and the reduced lift is to be increased byincrease of the angle of incidence. This occurs mainly at starting andlanding, for at normal speed the necessary lift is generated by thesuffieiently strong pull of the propeller at that most favorableangle-of incidence, which produces also the least drag. Therefore thegeneration of the artificial lift is limited to the short moments ofstarting and landing, and occasionally also in sudden vertical currents.According to this invention the artificial lift upon the. relativevelocity between aeroplane and the.

is generated by the discharge of burnt gases or air, tangential to theupper and lower sides of the wings. From the preceding it followsthat- 1. The machinery must be able to generate the lift suddenly andimmediately with full force.

2. This function must be independent of the motor, since it is to beused at landings on account of motor trouble.

3. The machinery must be small and light,

for apparatus is not necessary for the flight ing operations. Since thisdead weight has to be carried during the flight, any excess in weightwould be undesirable.

4:. The form of the wings, already scientifically developed, must not bechanged, nor the drag increased by projecting portions.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, the invention consists inthe novel conitself, but only during the landing and startstruction andarrangement of elements herea in disclosed, it being understood thatmodifications may be made within the scope of the claims, withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings forming part of this application,

Figure 1 shows an aeroplane or a portion thereof in top plan andhorizontal section, and the special apparatus employed fordistributingthe heated air to the surface of the wing.

Figure 2 is a section on line 22 of F igure 1. I

on line 33 of Fig Figure 3 is a section ure 1.

Figure 4 is an enlarged section through structure at the central portionof Figure including a mixing chamber, the air and fuel intake means, aspark plug, and the ducts leading from the mixing chamber toward-the Vnozzle of the Wings.

Figures 5 and 6 are detail views in section, showing two of the nozzles,it being assumed that these elements have been rotated to close theirlongitudinal discharge slots.

Prominent features of construction include discharge nozzles in thewings, air storage,

and fuel supply. The tanks are to be filled at the beginning ofavflight, and pressure is maintained during the flight without attentionon the part of the pilot.

In Figure 1, the wings or planes are designated 10, a propeller is shownat 11, and a portion of the fuselage is designated 12.

Motor 13 drives the propeller, and drives through clutch 14 the movingelements of the compressor 15, which discharges through check Valve 17and pipes 16 to the air-tanks 23. Check valve 17 prevents return flowand Valve 19' is closed toward mixing chamber 19 when filling the tanks.The air is carried under pressure in storage receptacles 21 in the wings10, and a valve casing 22 connected with one of these tanks enclosespiston 23 having a stem operatively connected with arm 25 of Valve 20,so that rise or fall of the air pressure in tanks 21, which are incommunication with each other, will be followed by a correspondingmovement of valve 20. At maximum pressure in the tanks 21 valve 20 ispartly opened. During action of the apparatus the opening of valve 20increases with the falling pressure in the air-tanks allowing thus topass that Volume of air, which partly provided with fuel, ignited, andexpanded into the mixing chamber, produces there that pressure requiredfor the constant velocity of gases at discharging points. i

A fuel tank is connected by pipe 31 with the mixing chamber or the inletportion thereof, and a bafile element 23 located as shown in Figure 4permits a portion of the incoming air and the fuel to pass directly to achamber 19. The fuel pipe will include cut oil? means, and ignition willbe effected by means of spark plug 35. Pipe 30 supplies air to the fueltank.

Exhaust gases from the motor 13 pass through duct 36 under the controlof valve 37 and thence to pipe 38 or pipe 38, the latter being a mainexhaust duct discharging at the rear.

Valve 37 is operated by slotted arm 37 and stem 24 of piston 23.

Pipe 38 is connected with pipes 39 distributing exhaust gases throughthe air tanks in the planes or wings, but not in contact with the airtherein, the air of the tanks being heated and expanded without beingmixed with the products of combustion.

From the mixing chamber 19 the fluid passes through pipes 40, 41, 42 oneach side of the chamber to the nozzles shown in Figure 3, and isdischarged thence along the surface of the plane or planes.

The nozzles are mounted in stationary tubular elements or channelmembers such as member 44 having flanges 45 secured to the wingstructure and the; nozzles 46 are rotatable within the devices 44 andare elongated, and each provided with the longitudinal slot 46' and witha flat portion or portions 47, 47 the latter being especially importantbecause the current is discharged directly along the surface of theplane and no obstruction or additional resistance to the movement of theaeroplane through the air is experienced. The nozzles are rotatable inthe channels 44, and the slots 46 may thereby be closed.

At the right of Figure 3 and in Figure 6, I have illustrated a nozzle 50having two longitudinal slots 51 and 52, and having two flat portionsadapted to coincide with the upper and lower surface portions of theplane and having the same relation to the surface portions as thatindicated in connection with the nozzles 46. The stationary channelmembers for the nozzle 50 are designated 54, 55 and they each haveflanges 56 permitting suitable mounting. In Figure 6 it is assumed thatthe nozzle has been rotated for the purpose of closing the slots 51 and52.

Assuming that the air tanks 21 have been fill-ed prior to commencing atflight, the air pressure in said tanks will be slightly below maximumand valve 37 will remain open toward pipe 38 until the exhaust gases inpipes 38, 39 have expanded the air sufliciently to operate piston 23 andopen Valve 37 to the main exhaust 38 to the exclusion of pipe 38 andpipes 39 connected therewith.

As soon as the air in tanks 21 cools somewhat, piston 23 moving underspring action will throw valve 37 to the left in Figure 1 and theexhaust gases will again impart heat to the air in the tanks.

Compressor 15 is placed in operation whenever desired by the use ofclutch 14 in order to supply pressure to the nozzles in the wings.

' The apparatus is fully operable with air only, which will bedischarged through the nozzles under its own pressure (the Valve of pipe18 being wide open), but when desired the fuel supply and ignitionsystems are brought into play, the explosion taking place in channel 18'of Figure 4, which for obvious reasons has a narrow portion at the pointshown.

When valve 19' is opened, air passes through pipe 30 to the fuel tank30, and fuel passes through pipe 31 and its nozzle 31 to channel 18'where decrease in pressure (because of the higher velocity at thenozzle) will press the fuel into portion 18 and produce an inflammablemixture to be ignited by the spark plug 35.

Air from channel 18" also passes into the mixing chamber 19, and thechamber discharges through pipes 40, 41, 42 to the nozzles of the wings,serving the purpose previously indicated.

What I claim is-.

1. In an aeroplane, a wing, means for distributing fluid under pressureto the surface of the wing and including a duct movable with referenceto the longitudinal axis thereinsects 2. A structure comprising theelements of claim 1, and channeled means for mounting the nozzlepermitting movement of said duct by rotation for closing the 51012..

3. A structure comprising the, elements of claim 1, the slotted portionbeing tangential with reference to the axis of rotation.

4. A structure comprising the elements of claim 1, in which the duct hasan approximately flat portion adapted to cooperate with the adjacentsurface of the wing.

5. A structure comprising the elements of claim 1, in which the nozzleincludes a second elongated slotted portion discharging tangentiallywith reference to the longitudinal axis of the duct.

6. In an airplane, means responsive to pressure variation in the wingsfor heating fluid for discharge through the structure of the wings,means for compressing the fluid, and 1 means for directing said fluidalong the surfaces of the wings.

7. A structure comprising the elements of claim 6, and automaticcontrolling means governing the passage of'fiuid toward the Wings.

8. In an airplane, means for storing air,

heating means for the air thus stored, means automatically controllingthe heating means and actuated by variation in the pressure of thestored air, and means for directing air to the surface portions of thewings.

9. In an airplane, a propeller, a motor for driving the propeller, anair compressor driven by the motor, a mixing chamber, means forconveying compressed-air and fuel toward the mixing chamber, means forexploding the fuel, and means for conveying the products of combustionand a portion of the air to the surface portions of the wings of theaeroplane.

10. In an aeroplane, a wing, means for stor ing air underpressure,mechanical means for controlling the pressure, heating meansfor controlling the pressure jointly with the mechanical means, andmeans for discharging the air adjacent to the surface of the wing.

11. In an aeroplane, a wing, means for storing air under pressure, meansfor discharging the air at the surface portion of the wing, andcontrolling means maintaining a predetermined relation between theinitial pressure and the velocity of the air current released at thepoints of discharge.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature.

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